My Matchday - 276 Victoria Road

Dagenham & Redbridge 2v1 Charlton Athletic
League One
Saturday 19th March 2011
My latest trip to the capital was intended as another Gateshead away fixture at Hayes & Yeading, but due to the Heed’s progress in the FA Trophy the match was postponed.
Luckily my train tickets didn’t go to waste, heading over to the opposite end of the smoke to the east end of London to tick off Dagenham & Redbridge’s Victoria Road ground.

Dagenham is a large suburb which forms part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, located 12 miles east of Charing Cross.
It was historically a farming village, which remained undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began constructing the large Becontree estate. The population greatly increased during the 20th century, becoming primarily a residential area forming part of Greater London since 1965.
The location is also home to the Ford Dagenham assembly plant, which opened in 1931

and has produced almost 11 million cars and 37 million engines in its history.
However, my previous knowledge of Dagenham is through my good taste in music, with two songs titled ‘Dagenham Dave’ one from The Stranglers which appeared on the 1977 album No More Heroes, which is a tribute to one of the groups original fans who committed suicide by jumping off Tower Bridge into the Thames.
The other from Morrissey from the album Southpaw Grammar, which was also released as a single in 1995(which I also bought) and has a flattering picture of a young Terry Vegetables on the picture cover.

Your more likely to find out about the formation of Dagenham & Redbridge FC on ancestry.com, a long family tree which dates back to four amateur clubs - Ilford (formed in 1881), Leytonstone (1886), Walthamstow Avenue (1900) and Dagenham (1949). Leytonstone were the most successful of those clubs, winning the FA Amateur Cup on three occasions and the Isthmian League nine times.
Illford and Leytonstone merged in 1979, becoming Leytonstone Ilford, and took over struggling Walthamstow Avenue in 1988, renamed as Redbridge Forest in the summer of 1989.
Redbridge Forest won promotion to the Conference in 1991 before merging with Dagenham the following year to become Dagenham & Redbridge, winning promotion to the Football League in 2006-07.

The Victoria Road site has been a football ground since 1917, when originally used by the neighbouring factory side Sterling Works, however it was Brigg Sports formed in 1934, who played at the ground until moving to Rush Green Road in 1955. The ground became fully enclosed when Dagenham FC took over, moving from the Dagenham Arena situated within Old Dagenham Park.
Ground improvements were made through the remainder of the decade, with a newly laid pitch, turnstile block, toilets, extension to the terrace banking and the main stand opened in January 1956. Floodlights were switched on for an FA Youth Cup tie with Woodford in September 1957 and the following year more cover was added at the far side terrace at a cost of £1,400.

The ground was regularly maintained with major improvements coming over the last 20 years to coincide with the tenants ambitions to progress, rising from the Isthmian to the Football League.
Currently known as The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Stadium,(Bit of a gob full!)the Main Stand was built in 2001 and has a seating capacity of 800. Now known as the Carling Stand, the small tier of red and blue seats are set above pitch level with staircase entry via the front gangway with the team dugouts in front.
Next to the this is the small covered Barking College Family Stand which was build to increase the overall capacity which allowed Redbridge Forest promotion to the Conference. The stand has a block of 200 seats with access gained at the front.
Opposite is the North Terrace which is fondly known as “The Sieve” and even on a glorious day like today there was still water leaking from its ceiling. The terrace is fully covered with a TV gantry perched on the red roof, which has the club name embossed in large white capital letters.
Turnstile entrance to the North Terrace is via the open Bury Road End terrace, which gives the option of either viewing the match from behind the goal or in the paddock. The Bury Road End also has an electric scoreboard and police control box.
The most recent development is the Marcus James Stand which replaced the Pondefield Road open terrace. The all seated stand has a capacity of 1,200 and was opened during the 2009-10 season. The away end has a block of red seats with DAGGERS boldly standing out in white and the players emerge from under the stand.
The ground has four corner floodlights which replaced the original eight floodlights during the summer of 2001 and has a current capacity of 6,078, with a record attendance of 7,200, for an FA Cup tie with Reading in 1967.
Dagenham & Redbridge’s recent run of good form continued with a convincing win over a lacklustre Charlton side.
Jon Nurse put the home side ahead on 33 minutes with a well placed effort from just outside the box and could have gone further ahead, but were twice denied by good saves by Ross Worner, which lead to a chorus of boos from the away end at half time.
Dagenham continued to improve in the second half, doubling the score on 55 minutes when a Damian Scannell cross found Danny Green who fired into the top corner.
The visitors scored a late consolation with a close range effort from Frank Nouble, but The Daggers held out for a deserved win, which improved their hopes of staying up, while Charlton must be one of the poorest sides I’ve seen this season.
Glorious sunshine greeted my arrival in London, then my good mood soon diminished with the news that the District Line was closed which meant I had to plan an alternative route to reach my final destination. This surely can’t be a coincidence. Every time I come down here they mess up my strategy. London transport must look at my ‘Possibles and Probables’on this website then decide THAT is where the line closure shall take place this week.
On my way south I plugged in my laptop on the train to use my 15 minutes of free wi-fi time. (Aye, that’s right. Bliddy a quarter of an hour! Should be free, never mind charging £4.95 an hour, the amount of money I spend on train tickets etc..rant..etc) to quickly (you have to be quick you’ve only got 15 minutes) check the news, my emails, friendface, twatter etc.
I received a message via friendface from Squad #67 James Durnford who was also in London, heading to a game at Metropolitan Police, so we arranged to meet up for a drink in The Tyburn on Edgeware Road, as I always welcome the chance to meet up with one of the 100FgC squad for a bevvy.
I had other plans while I was in the capital, which I had to abandon knowing I had the dreaded prospect of the bus replacement service( should it not be train replacement service?) so I caught the tube from Marble Arch to Bank and had a quick pint in the quite impressive JDW pub The Crosse Keys, before catching the train from Fenchurch Street to Barking.
I arrived at Barking at around 1.30pm. I asked the nice bus conductor lady how frequent the buses are and the duration of the four stop journey, which then gave sufficient time to spend in The Barking Dog, a Wetherspoons pub next to the bus stop which was already serving ales from the latest beer festival which starts later this week.
In typical comedy farce fashion of my recent travelling experiences, I had to end up with a bus driver who didn’t know where he was going, following the bus route with a map on his knee. The driver got lost and started to go the wrong way until a young lass marked his card, telling him that he’s supposed to go to Upney, which he then corrected with a swift U-turn on the main road. (London transport!! You don’t get this sort of carry on with Go Ahead Northern…Eddy)

I arrived at Victoria Road at 2.30pm and on the whole was really impressed with the set up at Dagenham. I noticed a lot of West Ham shirts in the crowd so Dagenham based Hammers fans are still turning out to support their local team, which is good to see.
The club still maintain their non-league ethos, being a community club who haven’t got too big for their boots since becoming a League club, plus more importantly, where else in League One or if fact, in the south-east of England, could you be adequately fed and watered for under a fiver!
A good day was spoiled by football news elsewhere. I’ll not mention the result from the match played in my least favourite city(see report prior to this) but I was saddened to hear that Gateshead couldn’t overturn Darlington’s one goal advantage in the semi-final of the FA Trophy, so yet again, Wembley dreams crash and burn for at least another year.
That result means that this is my last Saturday game in London this season, so that’s good news for tube travellers, as your truly won’t be in the big city, being the root cause of chaos and delay on the underground.

(apologies for the over use of bracketed comments in the report)


Matchday stats

D&R 2(Nurse 33 Green 55)CAFC 1(Nouble 90+2)

att.3,505

Admission £18

Programme £3

Ground no.276 Victoria Road - Matchday Web album (20 pictures)

My Matchday - 229 Edgar Street

Hereford United 1v1 Dagenham & Redbridge

League Two

Saturday 3rd October 2009

Hereford is a cathedral city which lies on the River Wye, the county town of Herefordshire.

The town’s name derives from Anglo Saxon. “Here” meaning an army of soldiers and “Ford” the crossing point of a river, so the name suggests it was a place where foot soldiers crossed the River Wye.
The city is essentially a trading centre, manufacturing the likes of nickel alloys, chemicals, leather goods, also dealing in poultry and the cattle trade with the famous Hereford breed.
Most important of all is the production of a well known cider, as well as proper beer from the Spinning Dog and Wye Valley Breweries.

Edgar Street Athletic Stadium has been in use since the late 19th century, primarily for athletics, but also hosted cycling, tennis and of course football.
The ground had been home to Hereford Thistle and then Hereford City, who were playing on Edgar Street when two local sides; St Martins and Rotherwas merged in 1924 to form Hereford United.
A ground share with City was agreed and the following year saw the construction of a diminutive barrel roofed stand on the Edgar Street side nicknamed ‘Noah’s Ark’ and a tin roofed terrace opposite, known as the Coalshed.
The ground was originally owned by the Bulmer family, the brewers of the famous apple based alcoholic beverage, until the local council purchased the ground for £3,000 in 1931. United became sole tenants two years later when City vacated the ground and then ceased playing by the end of the decade.
At the turn of the fifties Hereford United became lease holders. They installing floodlights which were donated by local firm Painter Brothers, who specialise in constructing steel towers, their work includes the Skylon which was built for the Festival of Britain in 1951.
The floodlights were switched on for a Birmingham League fixture with Walsall Reserves in March 1953, the club illuminating their ground before many of the country’s top clubs.
The same decade also witnessed a record gate of 18,114 for an FA Cup 3rd Round tie with Sheffield Wednesday in 1958.

The club sold land on the Edgar Street side in 1968 to make way for a road widening scheme. ‘Noah’s Ark’ set sail to nearby Risbury, being used as a barn on farmland and a new cantilever stand with 1200 seats was built on the opposite side.
The Merton Stand was then extended when the club progressed in the Football League, replacing the old Cowshed terraces on each side.
The stand has a mixture of red and blue seats which includes the family section.
The club offices, hospitality, boardroom and changing rooms are underneath the stand, which can be seen through a section of windows which look more like a row of Butlins chalets. The dugouts are brick frames with benches next to a narrow opening, which is the players tunnel.
　
The old wooden grandstand was replaced with The Len Weston Stand, which was named after former benefactor and club president. The stand was built in 1974, two years after the club progressed from the Southern League, winning election to the Football League at the expense of Barrow.
The stand runs pitch length, there’s a terrace below an upper tier of black seats which gives partial shelter to those standing underneath. The terrace has concrete supporting pillars meaning a restricted view in some areas, while access to the seats is via staircases at the side of the terrace. There’s also a section put by for away supporters at the south side.
The stand is now named the Cargill Stand and when originally constructed made Edgar Street the only non top flight ground to have two cantilever stands.

Meadow End has a capacity of around 3,500 and is the home fans singing section. You can see how the ground was once used for athletics as the terrace curves round with a flat section of terracing directly behind the goal.

Opposite is a smaller covered terrace at the Blackfriars Street End, which has shown it’s age over recent years, its capacity reduced to 1,000. The terrace is currently closed after failing a health and safety inspection in the summer, but there’s plans afoot to replace the terrace with a 1,500 seated stand. The closure has reduced the current capacity to 7,100.

The line “Now Tudor’s gone down for Newcastle” may not mean an awful lot to some, but it’s been the bane on the life of myself and fellow Toon fans for over thirty years.
That sentence was spoken by the legendary John Motson, in the lead up to the equalising goal by Ronnie Radford for Hereford United in the famous FA Cup 3rd Round Replay in 1972. Cue Motty and a pitch invasion from young'uns in parkas;
“Now Tudor’s gone down for Newcastle, Radford again (slight pause)Oh what a goal! What a goal! Radford the scorer, Ronnie Radford”

That piece of commentary is etched on my brain, as it’s shown again and again on Football Focus and MotD without fail on the first Saturday in January every year .
I’ll make an honest yet bold statement “I Hate Hereford!” But hang on, before a bus load of angry cider swilling Hereford fans make their way up to Tyneside baying for my blood, I’ll make myself clearer;
I’ve got nothing against your beautiful picturesque cathedral city or Hereford United FC, it’s just the word ‘Hereford’ that I despise, it’s like a swear word but with a silent F.
Malcolm MacDonald, blamed the horrible pong from the nearby cattle market for this legendary piece of giant killing, while I personally blame that awful all red strip, Newcastle wearing red! - it just wrong on so many levels.

A few weeks ago this game would have been a case of bottom v top, but The Bulls have shown improvement winning their last two home games including an impressive win over leaders Bournemouth in midweek.
The game with Dagenham & Redbridge looked to be heading for a dour goalless draw until springing into life with two goals in the final ten minutes.
The breakthrough came courtesy of James Walker and was well worth the wait. The striker picked up the ball 20 yards from goal, turned and shot first time past the surprised Roberts in goal, who managed to get a hand to the ball, but the shot proved to be too strong.
The goal spurred Dagenham into life, as if they had settled for a point then suddenly realised they were on the verge of defeat. Their next venture forward produced the equaliser. A good run and cross from Green found the incoming Wesley Thomas who headed home from close range.
There was still time for a winner and with three minutes remaining Hereford almost snatched it. A through ball found Gwynne who managed to stay onside, but was denied by the legs of Roberts.
A draw was a fair result in the end. I was just pleased to see a goal as for long periods of the game that looked highly unlikely.
My original plan for today was to watch Gateshead play away at Grays Athletic. I managed to book a lieu day from work, which is a feat in itself and about as rare as hens teeth!
However the ever reliable Torchy, who I had booked to travel with had a prior engagement meaning the trip to Grays was abandoned. I looked at the possibility of trains to Essex but they were far too expensive and out of my financial league.
Not wanting to waste the much valued day in lieu, I managed to get some decently priced train tickets direct to Birmingham New Street. From there I had the option of Walsall or Hereford, but plumped for the latter so I could tick off another far flung ground.
An early start, catching the 7.25 to Brum giving me plenty of time to make the connection to Hereford, arriving there around lunch time.
Hereford train station is nicely placed in the town centre, only ten minutes from the football ground with plenty of pubs on route to the match.
I predictably starting in the nearby Wetherspoons - The King Fee and then on to the recommended pubs; The Victory which is also the base of the Spinning Dog Brewery and the excellent Barrells, both pubs situated on the same road in St Owens Street.
I even made time to visit the Cathedral before the match, but unfortunately was unable to gain access, as it was pre-booked for another gig!
An enjoyable day out in Herefordshire, where I managed to avoid having to tell anyone of the League club I support, thus avoiding having to be reminded of that fateful day in F’Hereford in 1972.

HUFC 1(Walker 80) D&R (Thomas 83)

att.2253

admission £13

Programme £2.50


Bevvy Almanac - Decent Beer and No Bull

Ground no.229 - Matchday Web album

(19 pictures)

My Matchday - 202 Crown Ground

Accrington Stanley 0v0 Dagenham & Redbridge, League Two, 21st February 2009

Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, as common place in this part of the country, it’s former industrial roots were in the cotton and textile industries. “Accy” is also famed for producing the hardest building bricks in the world - “The Accrington Nori” which have been used in the construction of the Empire State Building and the foundations of Blackpool Tower.
The first football club in the town were Accrington FC, one of the original twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888, before resigning after only five years. Another team in the town already existed called Stanley Villa, taking their name from the clubs headquarters at the Stanley Arms on Stanley Street. After Accrington FC folded Stanley Villa took the town name becoming Accrington Stanley.
They originally played in the Lancashire Combination, until League Football returned to the town in 1921 as original members of Division Three North, where they twice finishing runners up in 1954-55 and 1957-58. When the League got rid of the north/south divide Stanley were placed in League Division Three in 1958. Two seasons later they were relegated, then in 1961-62 resigned from the League, playing their last game on 2nd March 1962. The club played on for a couple more seasons in the Lancashire Combination until eventually calling it a day in 1966.
The resurrected Accrington Stanley FC was formed in 1968, the club having remarkably rising through the football pyramid and back into the Football League. They began playing competitive football again in 1970, returning to the Lanc Combo, until progressing as founder members through three leagues; the Cheshire League, North West Counties League, then the Northern Premier Division One in 1987. The Reds became Northern Premier League champions in 2002-03 and thus promotion to the Conference, where they didn’t stick around for long, winning the title in only their third season in 2005-06.

The original club played at Peel Park which in it’s heyday held 20,000 including an impressive Spion Kop and seated stands on either side. When the club reformed they applied for permission to play there, but unfortunately a huge fire to the Main Stand in 1972 led to the grounds demise and put pay to the clubs return.
The Crown Ground is currently called the Fraser Eagle Stadium, and was built on the site of an old clay pit, used by works team Ewbanks when the reformed Stanley first began playing there. In those days the ground only possessed a small pavilion, used as changing rooms and clubhouse purposes, with a wooden fenced enclosure. In 1989 a new changing room block was built and the pavillion was replaced with a new seated stand.
The ground looked much better than I expected, the shallow Whinney Hill Terrace, with it’s rickety looking corrugated iron roof the only part which still looks like it belongs to a non league ground. There’s terraces behind each goal, the vocal home support gather in the covered Clayton End, which is now known as the Sophia Khan Stand. At the opposite end the Coppice Terrace is mainly unemployed, apart from a small section in the corner for away fans. A not so chirpy cockney complained about this fact, unhappy he was unable to stand directly behind the goal, saying it was a disgrace that there was only two home spectators standing on that terrace, before the steward informed him that the terrace isn’t used and those two spectators were in fact the ball boys. Away supporters have no need to complain, at least Accrington are kind enough to offer cover to its visitors, giving them half of the Whinney Hill Terrace.
The seated area of the ground is two separate stands, broken up by the team dugouts, which aren’t the traditional style boxes, but four rows of seats for both teams divided by a wall. The Main Stand is slightly bigger than the Thwaites Stand, both have red flip seats with ASFC picked out in white in the Main Stand, which also houses a kiddies section next to the players entrance(no tunnel) in the near corner. The young’uns sang throughout the game, with those youthful tones reminiscing of the caterwaul at those old schoolboy internationals at Wembley.
The ground is finished off by the red tubular steel supports which appear on top of the covered stands, they somehow give the ground a more attractive look, accessorizing with the red crash barriers and seats. The current capacity is 5,050 which only 1200 are seats, however this may have to change with the Football League criteria set at 2,000 seats within 3 years of become a League Club, so changes will have to be made to bring the Crown Ground up to the required standards.

The players entered the field at the start of both halves to The Jam’s ‘Town Called Malice’ a fine selection indeed and a single I bought in both 7’ and 12’ editions on it’s day of release in February ‘82, reaching number one in the ‘Hit Parade’ the following week. I doubt that three lads from Woking have any connection to this tiny Lancashire town, which means it gets played because of a link to the song title, but is Accrington such a troubled town? - or is it reference to the clubs malicious past? - I don’t think it’s neither, they probably just recognise it as a bloody good song and a top tune!
It’s always disappointing to go to a game which finishes goalless, but I’m not one of those sad sack groundhoppers who doesn’t count 0-0’s and does a revisit until a goal is witnessed. The teams did produced an open entertaining affair, both missing several good chances with the majority of those falling to the home side. Lindfield and a young Dean Saunders lookalikey -John Paul Kissock went close, with the best chance of the first half coming from Paul Mullen, whose thunderous volley rattled off the crossbar.
Dagenham had a good spell in the second period, but failed to take advantage, lacking a cutting edge in front of goal. Stanley finished strongly missing a couple of one-on-one situations until winning a penalty in the 90th minute after a hand ball from Okuonghae. Veteran Daggers keeper Tony Roberts capped his 400th club appearance by saving Andy Procter’s spot kick, giving his side a share of the spoils.
I booked train tickets in early January for my planned trip to Accrington, however my ‘current’ employees are trying their best to mess up ‘My Matchdays’ telling the staff just last week that we now start one hour later on Saturday‘s, which means a later start and a later finish. Thankfully I was assisted by my loyal (and maybe soon to be former) workmates and I made the 11am National Express train from Central Station to York, without any problems.
The train journey to Accrington was a long slog across country, finally arriving in the town at 2.05pm.
I arranged to meet up with Squad#34 David Poole aka ‘The Groundhog’ who was giving an owed “ day out pass” having missed out on a trip to Hereford a fortnight ago to see his beloved Brighton & Hove Albion. He was joined by his mate Martin(a ‘Citeh’ fan) and we arranged to meet up for a bevvy in The Abbey before the game. I arrived at the pub to find they hadn’t arrived but instead found a couple of blokes sporting Chelsea away shirts watching their heroes on the box away at Aston Villa. I stood next to them at the bar and was surprised to hear they had thick Lancashire accents, obviously part of the new breed of Chelsea supporter.
I received a text message from David, informing me they couldn’t find the pub and they were in The Black Horse , so I asked one of the Chelsea lads and he gave me directions, being only a short distance away. After another quick pint we headed to the ground, The Groundhog had travelled by car so I was able to get a lift to the ground and back to the train station after the game.
My train journey back to York went by more quickly after falling asleep, I called in to the Coopers pub in the station, only because I didn’t have much time to venture elsewhere. I had an extortionately priced pint of Davenports Bitter, which was nice but I’m promising myself never to return to this pub, I’ve never liked the place, I’d rather do without a bevvy than come back in here again.
I caught the train back to Newcastle at 1955 and was alarmed to find the train infested with drunken yobs, there was bottles and cans lying all over the place, with no consideration and much annoyence to the other passengers. So I ignored that lot and put my i-pod on at full blast and kept myself to myself until reaching the safety haven of Tyneside.
I purposely wrote this piece without any reference to the one thing that Accrington Stanley have been infamously linked with for a number of years, no clichés or puns regarding that unmentionable burden on a historical club. I’ve did my usual matchday write up, which covers my day out, a description of the ground and a brief history of the club, that’s just in case you were unaware of their background - so now do you know who they are? ...EXACTLY!

Link - The Groundhog's report

Matchday stats
ASFC 0 D&R 0
Att. 1123
Admission £13 (away terrace)
Programme £3

Ground no.202 Crown Ground - Matchday Web album(14 pictures)

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